When people seamlessly connect, communicate, and collaborate internally, with partners, and the customer—it increases efficiency, accelerates innovation, and...
Author - Zack Hicks
Zack Hicks is senior vice president and chief information officer at Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). He is also the chief executive officer and president of Toyota Connected, Inc. Additionally, he has a global role leading information security management department for Toyota Motor Corporation. As senior vice president and CIO of TMNA, Hicks drives the strategy, development, and operation of all information security systems, solutions and technology. Hicks is focused on aligning the efforts of business operations, strategic planning, and technology to drive business innovation and efficiency. In his role as CEO and President of Toyota Connected, he is responsible for leading global efforts that reinvent the way people think about mobility. Through the use of advanced technology and predictive intelligence, Hicks leads the development of solutions that excite customers and anticipate their needs. Hicks is also a member of the North American Management Committee, board member of The Toyota Foundation and Toyota Insurance Management, Toyota Diversity Board, Toyota PAC Board, and chairs the Executive Steering Committee. Since joining Toyota in 1996, Hicks has championed a global telematics ecosystem and facilitated the implementation of cloud-based collaboration tools for Toyota employees, accelerating communication across the company. He also led the development of an award-winning social media analytics platform enabling Toyota to capture the voice of the customer and intimately connect with them in new ways. Hicks has held several management positions within the company, including telematics, eBusiness, and IT management, where he led the establishment of a demand-management function, the development of next-generation dealership technology, and designed a CIO Magazine award-winning information systems strategy framework to align business and IT strategies. He also served as vice president of administrative services. Recently, he received the award of “Innovator of Year” from D-CEO magazine (2016). He has been named by CIO Magazine as Ones to Watch and awarded multiple recognitions by CIO Magazine’s CIO 100 list. Hicks was named one of the top 10 Global Breakaway CIO Leaders by Evanta/CIO Leadership Network and a Premier 100 IT Leader by Computerworld. He is an active member of the CIO Strategy Exchange, Corporate Executive Board for Chief Information Officers, and Research Board. Formerly, Hicks served as vice chairperson of the UCLA IS Associates, a Trevor Project Board member, and was active with the March of Dimes Foundation. Hicks graduated from Pepperdine University with a bachelor’s degree in business management and a master’s of Business Administration in business and technology from the University of California at Irvine. He received Pepperdine’s Distinguished Alumnus Award at the Graziadio School of Business and Management.
